Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Thousands of translucent Velella velella have invaded NorCal shores, driven by wind and water, stunning beachgoers with their eerie, glassy sails.
These wind-reliant wanderers don’t swim—they drift, their sails catching coastal gusts that can sweep them ashore in vast, iridescent waves.
Each “sailor” is a floating colony of polyps, like tiny crew members—each with a job, from feeding to stinging prey beneath the surface.
Once beached, they’re doomed—no way back. Without waves or tide to return them, they dry under the sun, fading to ghostly husks.
Their arrival signals a shift: the West Coast’s upwelling season has begun, altering winds, currents, and marine life movement, experts say.
Though often mistaken for jellyfish, they're closer kin to the man o’ war—less dangerous, but still capable of minor stings on contact.
Up close, their radiant blues and see-through bodies dazzle like sea glass. It’s a fleeting beauty—one tide can erase them from sight.
Oceanographer Raphael Kudela explains that high pressure systems concentrate them offshore—then one storm shift pushes the whole raft landward.
Seen mostly in spring, their mass beachings depend on wind, weather, and luck—a ghost fleet that only appears when nature aligns.